There's always an alternative to the high priced spread...

Well, this kind of seriously sucks, so does this, and, you know, I think we all understand how this guy felt...

Tad Roberts dropped me a line the other day to tell me about a cool website that had a pretty nifty DIY roller furling gear...

The thing is, I'm surprised that there are not more self-made roller furling and reefing system around... The science/engineering involved are dead simple and, as the cost savings are so attractive, you'd think everybody would be doing it.

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that not everyone has had the pleasure/curse of working in a used sailing gear and consignment shop where all those broken, malfunctioning, and poorly designed brand name furling systems go when their useful life has ended or that a large percentage of folks on sailboats think paying a lot of money for gear is a cure all of sorts.

Then again, being a person of frugal tastes, the idea that I can build something for around 5-10% in material costs that will work as well or better rather than buying it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling...

Listening to Johnny Hallyday

So it goes...

Mainsail furling...Not ready for prime time.

I have mixed feelings about mainsail furling systems but the short form is that the cost/utility/performance just does not seem to be there yet. Then again it took a lot of years for the Jib/Genoa furlers to get to the point where one could take the fact that they would work with more or less acceptable performance for granted.

Sadly In mast and boom reefing systems still have a long way to go and when problematic they can ruin your whole day...



...Not to mention your bank account!

I lean towards boom furling systems as being more accessible when things get ugly but the price that the various systems are going for are somewhat silly. Being a cheap bastard I still find a lot of merit in slab reefing. Though I do have some pretty neat drawings from the Gougeon brothers from their wingmast plans on how to build your own roller reefing boom for a couple of hundred bucks which makes a lot more sense than the silly pricing I keep seeing on ready made roller furling booms.